


Best Birthday Ever!

by makokjiyuu



Category: Free!
Genre: Gen, Makoto is a wonderful big brother, Makoto's Birthday, Tachibana twins being adorable, also Haru is a great second big brother, and Nagisa and Rin and Rei are dorks, and Ran and Ren are so cute, and a little 3rd grader angst, best day ever, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-02-24 07:18:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2572952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makokjiyuu/pseuds/makokjiyuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You know what we should do,” Ran says, blue-green eyes sparkling as she turns to face him.</p><p>“What…?” Ren ventures cautiously. He knows that look – she’s got an idea, and her ideas tend to either be truly brilliant, or get them both in lots of trouble.</p><p>She pauses dramatically, and then - “We make sure Onii-chan CAN'T forget his birthday.”</p><p>Gift to njkcs for 2014 Makoto Birthday Fanworks Exchange!<br/>Prompt: Ren and Ran collab to make something special for their Nii-chan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pjzza](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pjzza/gifts).



“Tadaima!” Ran Tachibana shouts, just seconds before her twin brother, as the both of them tumble into the entryway. As usual, she is the first one into the house, and very pleased with herself, too.

“Raaa _aaan_!” Ren whines, coming up right behind her, his bookbag sliding unceremoniously to the floor. “Why do you always hafta _do_ that?”

“It’s not my fault if you’re slow,” Ran replies primly, toeing her shoes off and stepping up into the front hall. “If you want to beat me, you’ll just have to get faster.”

“But—”

“Okaeri!” Mrs. Tachibana peeks in at that moment, and notices her son’s pouting immediately. “What happened, Ren?”

“Ran beat me _again_!” Ren plops down on the edge of a step, sniffling. “I wanted to say it first…” Tears threaten to spill from his big brown eyes as he tugs his own shoes off, then moves to stand beside the culprit.

His mother breathes a knowing sigh, and comes closer to them. “Ren-chan, Ran-chan–” she gently chastises, giving each of them a look – “I know you both know that no matter which one of you is first, I’m glad that both of you are home.”

They each hesitate, then nod, Ran fiddling guiltily with the hem of her shirt, and Ren rubbing at his eye with one fist. Mrs. Tachibana smiles, and gathers them both into a hug.

“There are some rice balls for you in the kitchen, if you’re hungry,” she says, patting both of them on the head as she straightens. “Salmon, and red bean.”

“YAY!!” The twins are in chorus this time, excitement lighting up their faces. She laughs, and returns to the kitchen with them in tow. A plate of four delicious-looking rice balls sits in the middle of the table, to their delight.

“Ah! Is Onii-chan home yet?” Ran pipes up as she sheds her jacket.

“No, Makoto-onii-chan has a part time job at Iwatobi Swim Club Returns, remember? He won’t be home until after dinner.” Mrs. Tachibana crosses over to the stove, leaving the two of them to their snack.

“Aww….” Ran sighs, climbing up into her chair and propping her head in her hands. “Why does he have to be gone so much now?”

“He’s a third-year in school, so he’s supposed to be busy,” Ren answers helpfully, settling into the chair next to her.

Ran sighs again, louder. “I know… but still….” She reaches for the plate, then stops and glances at Ren. “Mm, since I got in first, you can pick first,” she decides, since she is a _good_ sister, after all.

Ren’s face brightens, and he squeaks out a “thank you!” before quickly grabbing both of the salmon-filled rice balls and plopping them onto his plate with much enthusiasm.

The room is quiet for the next few minutes as they enjoy their treat and their mother continues her dinner preparations. At some point, the phone rings, and she steps out of the room to answer it.

“Haah..~” Ren sighs contentedly when he’s finished, slouching down in his seat. “Mama makes these so good!”

“Mmhm,” Ran agrees, licking red bean paste off her fingertips. “You have rice on your face.”

Ren sputters, hastily wiping it away as he retorts “W-Well _you_ have stuff all over your fingers!”

“Not anymore,” she replies with a final dainty lick. “And I’m still not as messy as you.”

“Hey!!” Ren glares at her, swiveling in his seat. “I’m not m—”

“Shhh!!” Suddenly Ran interrupts him, holding a finger to her lips. Ren blinks in confusion, but trails off obediently.

“Makoto?…yes, that’s right. He’ll be moving to Tokyo next summer…” Their mother’s voice lilts in from the next room, the subject of her conversation instantly capturing Ren’s attention as well.

“We’ve been looking for apartments close to his university. Mm, yes.. I know, the time has gone by so fast… I can’t believe he and Haruka are graduating! We’ll definitely miss them both a lot. Ah, has Haruka found an apartment yet?”

“She must be talking to Mrs. Nanase,” Ren whispers, only to be shushed again.

“…Ah, that’s wonderful! You’ll have to let me know the address when he does. Knowing my son, I’m sure he’ll want to be within commuting distance of him. On his own in such a big city with no one else he knows.. they’ll probably both want each other’s company.”

Ren’s gaze shifts back to the table as he starts to get bored; but then they hear something that has both of their interests piqued.

“..His eighteenth birthday is this coming Sunday, but he’s been so busy with work and school lately that I’m not even sure he remembers.. oh yes, we’ll be sure to celebrate…!”

“How could Onii-chan forget his _birthday_?” Ren muses, propping his head in his hand. “I could _never_ forget _our—_ ”

“You know what we should do,” Ran says, blue-green eyes sparkling as she turns to face him.

“What…?” Ren ventures cautiously. He knows that look – she’s got an idea, and her ideas tend to either be truly brilliant, or get them both in lots of trouble.

She pauses dramatically, and then - “We make sure Onii-chan _can’t_ forget his birthday.”

Ren’s eyes widen. “How do we do that?”

“That’s easy.” Ran’s voice lowers conspiratorially. “We’ll give him the _best birthday_ _ever_!”

“…How?” Ren repeats, dubiously.

Ran grips the edge of the table and hops up from her seat, brimming with excitement. “You’ll see. All we need is a plan.” 

~*~*~*~*~*~

“I won! I actually won!!” Ren leaps to his feet and waves his controller in the air, beside himself with delight. “I finally got first place!”

Ran, situated comfortably in their older brother’s lap, sighs and leans her head back against his broad chest. “It’s just a lucky win,” she mutters. “You’re not gonna beat me again, I’m better at this game.”

“Ran, don’t be mean,” Makoto reprimands gently. “Good job, Ren! You were really fast!” He tilts his head to give him a congratulatory smile, while simultaneously patting his sister on the shoulder. “You’re _both_ so fast – you’re in first and second and I’m all the way in seventh…” He heaves an emphatic sigh, raking a hand through his sandy brown hair. “I’ve never been very good at these racing games, I don’t know how you guys do it.”

Ran giggles at his glum expression, bouncing in his lap. “I could teach you, Onii-chan!” she exclaims, putting down her controller and reaching for his, her small hands resting on top of his rough ones. “It’s really easy! All you have to do is—”

“I’ll show you too!!” Ren jumps onto Makoto’s back and slips his arms around his neck, not to be outdone.

“—figure out how to drift right and then—” Ran continues, talking over him.

“Raaa _aaan_!” Ren’s wail drowns out whatever she was trying to say, and suddenly the conversation turns into a scuffle as they climb all over their big brother in an attempt to claim his controller.

It ends just as abruptly, however, when Makoto separates himself from them with some difficulty and sits them both in front of him, fixing them with a stern look. “Don’t fight,” he scolds.

“Sorry,” they mumble contritely, in unison.

Makoto’s expression softens, and he ruffles their hair. “Why don’t you both show me how you do it?”

“Okay!” Ran perks up immediately and wriggles back into his lap. “I’ll go first!”

“No, let me!” Ren whines, scrambling into his lap as well.

“Guys!” Makoto holds the controller out of their reach until they stop squirming, then hands it to Ren after a moment of careful consideration. “Ren gets to go first, since he won.”

“Yay!” Ren crows, and Ran grudgingly agrees to the arrangement.

They spend the next half hour in this fashion, taking turns showing Makoto their techniques for the video game and then racing again, giggling and playing together on their big brother’s bedroom floor.

After a particularly harrowing race, Makoto flops backward onto the carpet, letting out a deep sigh. The twins tumble after him, snuggling up to either side of him as he tucks an arm behind his head.

“This is great,” he says, eyes falling shut as he smiles. “I’m so glad I get to do this stuff with you – I miss being able to just relax like this every day.”

“Then why can’t you?” asks Ran, rolling onto her stomach and resting her chin in her hands. “If you want to, you should.”

“Yeah,” Ren agrees, yawning and rubbing at one eye. “We miss playing with you too..”

Makoto chuckles softly, reaching to tug on one of Ran’s pigtails. “I wish I could, but I have to work really hard if I want to graduate.” He shakes his head thoughtfully. “But being busy is tiring… I’d like to have just one day to do whatever I wanted, like spend time with you and my friends, and go fun places, and… rest…” He trails off, as if partially talking to himself.

The twins exchange glances over his stomach, processing his words.

“ _Ah_!” Ran sits bolt upright, making both of her brothers jump in surprise. “C’mon Ren, we gotta go.”

“What..?” Makoto sits up, blinking at her. “But your bedtime’s not for another twenty minutes..”

She hesitates for a second, chewing the inside of her lip. “I know, but.. Ren forgot to do his homework!”

Ren gapes at her. “Wha– no I—!”

She jumps to her feet and steps over Makoto’s legs to face her twin, hands on her hips. “Remember, that reading assignment?” She glares down at him meaningfully.

“…Oh, right!” Ren scrambles to stand as well, directing an apologetic little wave at Makoto. “Sorry, ‘night Onii-chan!”

“G’night Onii-chan, sleep well!” Ran adds, giving him a quick hug before scuttling out the door with Ren on her heels.

As soon as they reach their room, Ran shuts the door and leans against it, face lit up with a confident smile. “I’ve got it!” she declares in an excited whisper. “We’ll make his birthday into the special day he wishes for!”

“Yes!” pipes Ren, equally excited. “But.. how do we do that exactly? I mean.. we’re only in year 3, how are we going to plan this all by ourselves..?”

“First, we need to make a list,” Ran says, padding over to grab her notebook and pen from her backpack. “And if we need help with anything, we can ask Mom, she can keep a secret.” She pauses, pen tip poised over a fresh sheet of paper. “This is a surprise, so you _can’t tell Onii-chan anything_ , Ren.”

Ren gives her an irritated frown. “I _know_ , I won’t,” he assures her, a hint of sulk in his tone. “I can keep a secret too. Can you?”

“Of course,” she responds easily, scribbling the words _Best Birthday Ever!_ at the top of the page and sitting cross-legged on her bed. “Now let’s see… what do we put?” She taps the end of the pen against her lip. “What would Onii-chan want to do on his birthday?”

Ren climbs up beside her, leaning over to see. “We should write down the normal birthday things first, though, so we don’t forget,” he points out, and his sister nods.

“Good idea. So… We’ll need.. presents.. a birthday cake… decorations…” She carefully writes each item down in her neatest handwriting. “What else?”

“Mm… we could give him a card, too,” Ren suggests.

“Ah, yes! A card.. and then…” She taps the pen to her mouth again. “Where does Onii-chan like to go?”

They think for a moment.

“The bakery down by the train station?” Ren says.

“Yes! Their melon bread is amazing! How about that park at the bottom of the hill?”

“Waah, I wanna go there again too!” Ren nods eagerly, pressing closer to her.

“Don’t push, you’ll mess up my writing,” Ran complains. “Anywhere else? He doesn’t really like the beach, and the water’s way too cold now anyway… Maybe the mall?”

Ren lights up. “Yeah! We could go to the arcade! Or a movie!”

Ran adds it, then inspects the list. “Okay, that’s good for now.. ah, he said he wants to see his friends, so.. who should we write down?”

“Haru-chan,” Ren says automatically.

“Well duh,” Ran retorts, writing his name down. “He’ll probably come over on Onii-chan’s birthday anyway. Who else… Nagi-chan and Big Brother Butterfly, and Rin-Rin, and Gou-chan!” She finishes penning the names, then admires her work. “Okay, I think that’s good!”

Ren peeks over her shoulder. “That doesn’t look like too much,” he admits, with a hopeful smile. “This could be fun!”

“Yes,” Ran asserts, capping her pen and tearing out the page, taking care not to rip the paper. “We’ve already got everything planned now, so how hard could it be?”                                                                                                                                             

~*~*~*~*~*~

 


	2. Chapter 2

“This is  _so hard_ ….” Ran groans. She is seated in the middle of the living room floor, surrounded by a vast assortment of markers, crayons, stickers, and colored paper. She has two of said papers spread out in front of her, numerous attempted drawings covering both of them. Ren is sprawled lazily on his stomach nearby, fiddling with some sheets of origami paper.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, peering over at her work.

“I’m trying to draw flowers and hearts and birthday cake for Onii-chan’s card.. but I can’t get any of it right..” She huffs in frustration and caps her marker, scowling at her hands.

“Flowers and hearts? That’s  _girly_ ,” Ren remarks, rolling nonchalantly onto his back and folding his paper into a fish. “You should draw him a cat, he likes cats. Or fireworks! That’d be cool.”

“I  _can’t_ though!” Ran whines, hunching over and propping her chin in both hands. “Just look at this…This is never gonna work….”

Ren rolls his eyes at his sister’s dramatics, and flops over to grab one of the papers. “This doesn’t look right,” he agrees solemnly.

“Give me that,” Ran says crossly, snatching it from him and selecting another marker. “ _I’m_ in charge of the card-making, remember?” She sticks her tongue out at him, an act he returns in kind, then picks up a new page. “..Maybe I can fix it…”

Ren shrugs and rolls onto his back again.

They work in silence for a few minutes, Ran scribbling determinedly and Ren playing with some more origami sheets. Ran’s frown grows more and more intense, until finally she drops the marker and wails, “This isn’t fair!! I wanted this to be  _perfect_ , but it’s  _terrible_!!”

Ren crawls over to sit beside her. “You could let me try.”

Ran glances at him, nibbling her lip. “Well…” Her brow creases doubtfully. “What would you do?”

Ren sticks the paper cat he’s just folded in his mouth so he has both hands free to reach for a large sheet of lime green poster paper, a handful of crayons, and the pile of origami paper. “Wh dn wmkm mptr?” he suggests.

Ran impatiently tugs the paper out of his mouth. “What?”

“Sorry. What if we make him a poster?” he repeats, starting to trace a swirly pattern along the edge of the paper with a skillful hand.

“A-ah, that could work..!” Ran assents slowly, casting him a glance that is both admiring and jealous.

Ren nods, doodling fireworks up in one corner, blue and green and red. Noticing the look on his twin’s face, he adds, “I know! I’ll do the drawings and stuff, and you can write the message in the middle! Okay?”

Ran perks up instantly. “Okay!” She picks up a purple marker, eager to get started.

When they’re finished, they each take a corner of the poster and stand, admiring their work.

“This is  _amazing_!” Ran effervesces. “Thanks Ren!” She lets go of her corner to give him a hug.

“It’s nothing,” he mumbles, embarrassed. “Now we gotta find a place to hide it, right?”

“Mmhm!” Ran beams, and picks up her notebook. “But first….” She flips to a page, and scribbles something. “…Card, check!” She displays the list proudly, a firm line drawn through the word. “Just a few more things to go! We’ll be done in no time.” 

~*~*~*~*~*~

“…Whoa…” The twins stand gaping, hand in hand, with mirroring expressions of awe.

Thanks to their mother’s enthusiasm about their big plans, they are now on a special expedition into the city, in search of the perfect birthday presents for Makoto.

“This store is  _huge_!” gasps Ren, soft brown eyes wide. “I-It’s gonna take  _forever_ to find anything..!” His voice wavers, approaching a whimper.

Ran’s own eyes are round as saucers, but after a moment she swallows bravely and clenches her other fist. “Don’t worry, Ren, I’ll find the  _perfect_ present for Onii-chan, just you wait and see!”

Ren lets go of her hand and stands straighter. “ _I_  will too,” he retorts, chin jutting out as he glares at her.

“Why don’t you both go pick something out?” Mrs. Tachibana wisely suggests before the challenge becomes heated. “I’ll let you both buy something for Makoto, okay?”

“Okay!” they cry happily, and rush off into the closest aisle with their mother in tow.

One and a half hours, two or three arguments, and countless agonizing decisions later, they are both satisfied with their choices – and both sure that Makoto will like their respective gift better.

“My present is perfect!” proclaims Ren, holding up an adorable stuffed cat. “If Onii-chan can’t sleep when he moves to Tokyo, he can hug this and feel better!”

“Yeah, that’s good,” says Ran begrudgingly, “but  _my_  present is more useful.” She clutches a package of colorful pens and a box of pocky. “He’ll need the pens for homework, and the pocky for when he wants a treat!”

“No fair..!!” Ren wails, tears threatening to spill. “You can’t say your present is better!”

“Unless it is,” Ran says primly. “Mom, what do you think? Isn’t my present better?”

“I think Makoto will love both of your presents,” Mrs. Tachibana tells them gently. “This isn’t a competition! You both just want him to be happy, right?”

They nod, faces sobering some.

“I… I think Onii-chan will really like the kitty,” Ran admits to her still-pouting twin. “Good job finding it!”

“Thanks,” sniffles Ren, hugging it tighter. “And I think the pens are really cool! And Onii-chan loves that kind of pocky too… so you did good too.”

“Mmhm!” Ran grins. “I can’t wait to give it to him!!”

Ren nods, rubbing his eyes. “Ah, Mama, did you find anything for Onii-chan?”

“As a matter of fact, I did,” she replies with a smile, and holds it up for both of them to see. “What do you think?”

The twins stare for a moment, and then excitement lights up both of their faces. “Ahh~!” They exclaim in unison, “It’s  _perfect_!” 

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Why do  _I_ have to go?” Ren protests as Ran pushes him into the hallway. “You’re better at making stuff up than me!”

“Yeah, and that’s exactly why it has to be you!” Ran counters. “If I go ask him, he’ll think something’s up!”

“But…” Ren’s mouth turns downward in a worried pout, brow furrowing apprehensively.

Ran sighs and turns him around, hands on his shoulders. “Look. All you have to do is go in, ask him for it, and come back out. It’ll just take a minute, and he won’t be mad or anything, I promise.”

Ren wavers. “O…Okay…” He says finally.

“Good! Now go!” Ran shoos him down the hall, and he stumbles to a stop in front of Makoto’s closed bedroom door.

Ren sticks his tongue out at her, then raises his small fist and gives the door a timid knock.

There’s a couple long minutes of silence, so with some mimed prompting from Ran, he knocks again, louder.

“Mm..? Come in.” Makoto calls, voice muffled.

Ren gulps, then turns the knob and slips inside.

“Onii-chan?” Ren blurts.

“Hm?” Makoto looks up from his cluttered desk, head resting against his hand, glasses crooked. “Ren? What do you need?” He smiles at him, but in a kind of distracted way.

“S-Sorry for bothering you,” Ren stammers, “but can we play with your phone?”

Makoto’s smile softens, and he gets up to find it, ruffling Ren’s hair as he walks past him. “You’re not bothering me, I was just surprised.” He pauses, hands on his hips as he surveys his disordered room. “Hmm… where did I put it…. Ah!” He digs his backpack out from under a pile of clothing, then rummages in a pocket for his phone. “Here it is.” He breathes on the screen and rubs it on his t-shirt before handing it to Ren. “Hopefully it’s got enough charge to play the games… you can play whatever you want though, just make sure you  _share_.” He gives him a meaningful look, then adds, “And don’t call anyone, I don’t have many minutes left.”

Ren swallows hard and nods. “O-Okay, thank you Onii-chan!” he squeaks, then scuttles out the door without another word.

“Did you get it??” Ran demands as soon as they’re safely in their own shared bedroom.

“Uh-huh,” Ren pants, dropping the phone in her hands as if it’s burning him.

Ran’s eyes sparkle excitedly. “Yes!!” She hops onto her bed, beckoning him to join her. “Do you think he knew anything?”

Ren shakes his head, climbing up next to her. “No, he was really busy with homework and stuff. He just gave me the phone, and he..  _Ah_!!” Ren blanches.

“What? What is it??”

“H-He said not to call anybody ‘cause his minutes are running out, what do we do? How’re we supposed to invite his friends  _now_?” Ren is nearly on the brink of tears with distress.

“ _Ren_ , quit panicking and let me think!” Ran chews on the tip of her thumb. “Ah, I’ve got it!” She jumps off the bed. “We don’t need to  _use_ his phone, we just need the phone numbers! C’mon.” And with that, she grabs his wrist and tugs him out of the room.

Minutes later, the two of them are in the kitchen, huddled importantly around the house phone with their mother helpfully standing guard by the stairs just in case Makoto were to come down.

“Is it ringing?” Ren whispers loudly.

“Shhh!” Ran motions for him to be quiet, receiver pressed to her ear.

 _‘Hello?’_ A male voice answers after a few rings.

“Rin-Rin!” Ran pronounces, bouncing up and down at her success.

 _‘Wha - who the hell is this?!’_ the voice splutters.

“It’s Ran Tachibana, and mom says that’s a bad word,” she replies primly.

Rin chokes and goes silent for a second, then clears his throat.  _‘A..ah, sorry. Ran… Makoto’s little sister? How did you get this number?’_

“From Onii-chan’s phone.”

“Don’t hang up!!” Ren cuts in, arms flailing. “It’s important!!”

 _‘O..kay, what’s going on?’_ He sounds vaguely amused.

“We’re planning the best birthday _ever_ for Onii-chan, and you have to come!” Ran explains. “It’s on Sunday and we’re going to be out by the Iwatobi train station at noon, so that’s when you should get there.”

Static crackles over the line while Rin processes this.  _‘Hmm.. I don’t have anything going on Sunday, so I should be able to make it. What’re you guys doing for it?’_

“Oh,  _everything_!” Ran declares proudly, loud enough that Ren shushes her. “We’re going to go to all of Onii-chan’s favorite places, and get food, and we’re making him cake, and –”

 _‘Okay, okay, I get the picture,’_ Rin laughs.  _‘It sounds great though. Does Makoto know? Should I invite Gou too?’_

“No!!” both Ran and Ren yelp.

 “And you can’t tell him  _anything_ ,” Ran adds.

 “But yes you should invite Gou-chan!!” Ren puts in.

  _‘I won’t,’_ Rin promises solemnly.  _‘And I’ll pass the word on to Gou. Now I gotta go, thanks for the heads up!’_ A click, and the line goes dead.

“Rin-Rin, check!” Ran proclaims, drawing a line through his name in the notebook. “Next is… Nagi-chan!”

Ren clicks through Makoto’s contact list, squinting at the glowing display until he finds what they’re looking for. “H…Hazuki.. Nagisa, right?”

“Yep!” Ran punches in the numbers, then once again waits for the call to connect.

 _‘Mako-chan!!’_  This time, it picks up right away, Nagisa’s cheerful tone easily recognizable.

“Not Onii-chan, me, Ran!” Ran corrects, giggling.

_‘Ah, hi Ran-chan! What’s up?’_

“We’re giving Onii-chan the best birthday  _ever_ , and we want you to come!” she begins, at which there is a whoop of excitement on the other end.

 _‘Waah, awesome! I’m in!! Are you having it on Sunday? When? Should I bring anything? I’ll bring Rei-chan for sure!!’_ A muffled yell of  _‘Nagisa-kun don’t just invite me without asking!’_ is heard in the background.

Ran beams, his enthusiasm contagious. “Yeah, this Sunday at noon! We’ll be down by the train station with Onii-chan, and you can bring whatever you want but you don’t have to!”

 _‘Okay!’_ Nagisa sounds like he’s grinning.  _‘Rei-chan and I will be there! How are the preparations coming? Are you doing it all yourself? Did you make him a cake?’_

“Wow, he asks more questions than you,” Ren says, awed. Ran ignores him.

“It’s going good! Ren and I are planning it, and Mom’s helped some. We haven’t made it yet, we’re going to though!”

The next few minutes are spent by Ran detailing all their ideas to Nagisa and Nagisa listening eagerly. Ran is in the middle of describing the decorations they plan to make when their mother peeks in and says it’s time for bed.

“I gotta go,” she says apologetically.

 ' _Okay! See you Sunday! And don’t worry, I won’t breathe a word to Mako-chan! Bye Ran-chan, Ren-chan!’_

“Bye!” they chorus, and Ran replaces the receiver with a sigh of satisfaction.

“Well, that’s that!” She crosses out Nagisa’s and Rei’s names, then inspects the list. “We only have a couple things left!”

“A couple  _big_ things left,” Ren points out.

Ran gazes thoughtfully at the two words left over, “cake” and “decorations”. “Yeah, but… There’s still a few days till Sunday.” She taps her fist against the palm of her hand. “We’ve got  _plenty_ to do.”

 ~*~*~*~*~*~

 


	3. Chapter 3

“This is  _boring_ ,” whines Ren.

The two of them are perched on the edge of one of the concrete steps leading up to their house, which provides them with the best view of the main staircase.

“I know,” sighs Ran, “But Haru-chan should be here soon.”

Ren kicks idly at a leaf, elbows propped on his knees. “I hope so. It’s  _cold_ , too.” His nose and cheeks are pink from the bite of the crisp autumn air, and he’s hiding his hands in his sleeves.

Ran rolls her eyes. “It’ll be warm in Haru-chan’s house, we’ll be fine. We’ve got our coats on.”

Ren huffs a sigh, breath forming little white clouds. “What if Haru-chan doesn’t want to help? We’d have to ask Mama to –”

“Haru-chan  _has_ to help us,” Ran interrupts firmly. “We can’t make the cake at home because what if Onii-chan came back and saw it?? We  _have_ to keep it at Haru-chan’s house, and we can’t make it by ourselves anyway.” She fidgets, adjusting the hem of her skirt and staring impatiently down the stairs. “Haru-chan is a great cook, and I’m sure he’ll want to help us after he hears about our plans!”

“If you say so…” Ren mumbles, tilting his head up to look at the muted grey sky. “I hope he has everything we –”

“Shh, someone’s coming!” Ran hisses, and they both fall silent, leaning forward in anticipation.

A lean, dark-haired teenage boy comes into view, scarf trailing down the front of his unzipped coat, schoolbag slung casually over his shoulder.

“Haru-chan! Haru-chan!!” they cry, leaping up to greet him.

Haru stops, startled, and looks around for the source of the sound, giving them the opportunity to latch onto each of his arms.

“Ran, Ren, what are you doing here?” His tone is puzzled, but free of irritation.

“Waiting for you!” Ren exclaims, causing Haru to raise his eyebrows at both of them.

“Oh? Why?” His expression remains mostly stoic, but the corners of his mouth twitch upward.

“We need you to bake us a cake!!” Ren declares, at which Ran reaches over to poke him in the side. “OW!! What was that for?!”

“You have to start from the beginning!” Ran scolds, shaking her head so vigorously her pigtails bounce.

“Oi, what’s going on?” Haru reclaims his arms from their possession, folding them across his chest and staring down at them with the faintest of smiles on his face.

“Let  _me_ tell him,” Ran instructs her brother, tossing her head. “Haru-chan, we’re planning for Onii-chan’s birthday tomorrow – we wanna give him the best day ever!! So we need to make him a cake, and it’s gotta be at your house because we don’t want him to see it!”

“Please, Haru-chan, will you help us??” Ren blurts, tugging on his sleeve.

Haru’s expression gives way to a full, if quiet, smile, his blue eyes warm. “Sure, that doesn’t sound too hard,” he assents, adjusting his bag strap higher. “When do you want –”

“Can you help us  _now_?” Ran qualifies, pulling his other sleeve. “It takes a long time to make cake, right? And Onii-chan’s birthday is  _tomorrow_!”

Haru nods solemnly, resuming his ascent up the hill. “Okay. Let’s go,” he pronounces, slowing his pace so they can keep up.

“Yay!!” They scramble up the stairs behind him, faces bright with excitement. “Thank you, Haru-chan!”

“So what kind of cake do you want?” Haru asks as they enter his back door and step up into the house.

“Uh… we.. didn’t really think of that yet,” begins Ran slowly as they shed their shoes and winter wear. “What do you think, Ren?”

“Chocolate!” Ren says without hesitation. “Onii-chan  _loves_ chocolate, it’s like his favorite thing!”

“Yeah…” Ran’s eyebrows draw together in thought. “But you’re supposed to make  _strawberry_ cake for birthdays, Ren, so we should make him a strawberry cake.”

“You’re just saying that because  _you_ like strawberry cakes!” Ren retorts, stopping and frowning at her. “Onii-chan likes chocolate, so chocolate is better.”

“He likes strawberry too!” Ran shoots back, turning to him with a mirroring frown. “And strawberry is what you do for birthdays, right Haru-chan?” She looks up at the older boy innocently, then gives Ren a smug glance.

“Well,” Haru begins, but is interrupted by Ren’s wail of “No  _fair_ , Ran!! You always think your ideas are better!”

“They usually are,” she says breezily.

Ren glares. “We’re making Onii-chan a chocolate cake.”

“Strawberry is for birthdays,” she argues.

“Chocolate is yummier!”

“No, strawberry is!”

“ _Onii-chan_  likes chocolate better!”

“But  _strawberry_ is luckier—!”

“ _OI!_ ” Haru barely raises his voice, but the authoritativeness in his tone is enough to make them clamp their mouths shut. He arches an eyebrow, sighing. “We could make him a  _chocolate strawberry_  cake, if you want.”

The twins eyes grow wide, and they glance at each other.

“That’s  _perfect_!!” they gasp, jumping up and down.

“Mm,” Haru grunts, turning and making his way to the kitchen without another word.

Rather miraculously, Haru has every ingredient they need in his house. He takes everything down from cupboards and out of his pantry, setting it all on the kitchen table; then ties on his apron and gives each of them one from a nearby closet. “So you don’t get your clothes dirty,” he says, and Ran and Ren giggle because their mother tells them the same thing.

Ran examines all of the ingredients with interest, leaving her apron strings untied. “Haru-chan, have you made this kind of cake before?”

“No, but I’ve baked other cakes, and I found a recipe,” Haru intones, setting said recipe in the middle of their workspace.

Ren pops up on the other side of the table, fumbling with his own apron strings. “Were you planning to make this cake for Onii-chan already, Haru-chan?” he inquires, curiously.

“I –” Haru blinks, and turns quickly to find some mixing bowls and utensils. “I was thinking about it,” he mumbles.

Ren smiles widely. “So you made plans for Onii-chan’s birthday too!”

“A…ah.” Haru stretches on his tiptoes to peer into a top shelf, then finally retrieves a large measuring cup. “This should be it,” he announces, returning to the table. “Ran, you can be the measurer, and Ren, you can mix. I’ll help you figure out the recipe. Okay?”

“Okay!” they pipe, eyes sparkling.

For the next half hour or so, the kitchen bustles with activity as they work to make Makoto’s cake. The twins chatter nonstop while they work, telling Haru every last detail of their plans and where they are going to take their brother on his birthday. Haru especially approves of the bakery idea, remembering that Makoto had been wishing for their melon bread just this morning.

Though the discussion is a great source of distraction, Haru keeps them on task; and soon, they have a delicious-looking chocolate batter, which Haru helps them layer with an equally-delicious-looking strawberry jam filling. Fortunately, neither twin has Makoto’s innate lack of skill in the art of cooking, so the cake comes together with very little mishap. (The single exception is when Haru pulls out a package of salted mackerel, declaring it a ‘secret ingredient’ – to which he is met with such great resistance from the twins that he reluctantly puts it aside, scowling.)

Once it is in the oven, they move out to the living room, and Haru puts on _Hamtaro_ and makes them some hot chocolate for their efforts.

When the cake is done, the twins squeal with delight at how well it came out; Haru seems rather pleased as well, and places it in the center of the table.

“Now we can decorate,” he says, producing sugar frosting, a letter icing tube, and a bowl of neatly halved strawberries.

“Can I write Onii-chan’s name? I’ve been practicing!” Ren asks, bouncing up and down.

“Sure,” Haru agrees, giving him the letter icing tube. “Just be careful. But it doesn’t have to be perfect.”

“I’ll frost the cake!” Ran offers, picking up the spatula. “Help me, Haru-chan!”

And after about thirty more minutes, they have a beautifully decorated cake (and only a handful of strawberries and a lick or two of frosting have disappeared in the process).

“Uwaah, Haru-chan, it’s  _perfect_!” enthuses Ran when they’re finished, throwing her arms around his waist. “Thank you so much!”

“Yeah, thank you so much Haru-chan! I love it!!” Ren squeaks, hugging him happily from the other side.

“A-ah.. it was nothing, really,” Haru mutters, patting their heads softly nonetheless.

“Now all we have to do is put it in the refrigerator!” Ran crows, letting go of Haru and wriggling out of her apron. “And then tomorrow, you can—”

_Ding dong!_

The three of them jump at the sound of the doorbell, and Ren and Ran exchange wary looks.

“It’s probably just your mother,” Haru says. “We can show her your cake.”

“Yeah!” Ran pumps a fist in the air. “She’s gonna love it! And just wait till Onii-chan—”

The back door rattles open, and they all freeze. There’s only one person who knows that Haru’s back door is almost always unlocked.

“O..Onii-chan..!” Ran whispers, going a little pale.

“ _What do we do??_ ” Ren hisses, eyes wide with panic. “He’ll see the cake.. a-and the surprise will be—!”

“Shh. It’s okay.” Haru swiftly snatches up the cake and puts it in his refrigerator, then smoothes his apron and stuffs theirs under the table. Without missing a beat, he picks up the abandoned package of mackerel and begins preparing it with an expert hand.

“Haru?” Makoto’s voice echoes through the otherwise empty house, tired and strained.

“Quick, we gotta hide!!” Ran grabs Ren’s wrist and scrambles into the other room, just as Makoto clomps down the hall to the kitchen.

“Shhh,” Ran whispers, and Ren covers both her mouth and his own in response. In the resulting silence, they can hear every word spoken in the other room as they crouch with their backs to the wall.

“Haru, there you are!” Makoto exclaims, relief in his voice. “I thought maybe I missed you on the way home somehow..”

A pause, likely filled by a head shake from Haru.

“….what’re you doing?” A shuffling sound, and a  _thunk_  – Makoto letting his backpack slide to the floor.

“Making mackerel.”

“At four in the afternoon?” Makoto sounds bemused.

“I was hungry. I didn’t have lunch.”

“Ahh… Haru.. you should’ve come get me, I would’ve shared mine with you..”

“It’s fine, you were busy talking to Ama-chan-sensei.”

Makoto sighs. “Still, you need to eat… Ah, that reminds me though.” More shuffling. “You forgot your homework again! Here.”

Haru huffs a breath, interrupting his vegetable-chopping and taking the papers. “You didn’t have to bring it all the way here, Makoto.”

“Yes I did, we have an English test on Monday that we need to study for! Literature and History too! I still have to write my paper… I’ll probably do that tomorrow.. or maybe tonight…” he trails off, then interrupts himself. “Anyway, you need it! So I brought it, it’s really no trouble.”

“Makoto.” Haru is quiet, but firm.

“Haru..?”

“Don’t worry about me, pay attention to yourself.” His voice is almost sharp.

“W…What do you mean? I’m fine, just –”

“You look exhausted. And you fell asleep in chemistry. Did you pull an all-nighter again?” A note of reproval graces his tone.

“I… yeah, I had to finish my analysis for ethics and it took longer than I thought…” Makoto says defensively. “…but it’s fine, Haru, I’ll sleep tonight, after I work on my English paper, don’t worry.”

“Hmh.” Haru grunts, then begins chopping again.

Makoto sighs heavily. “It really is okay…”

No response.

“…ah! It’s almost 4:15, I have to be at work at 4:45 today since there’s an extra training session.. mm… I have to go, I guess I’ll see you later?”

“You’re working today? Haven’t you worked enough this week?” Haru’s flatly disapproving now.

“Y..yeah, but several employees took holiday this week and Coach Sasabe really needs help….” Makoto laughs nervously. “Anyway… yeah. I’ll see you later…”

Haru is silent, and Makoto sighs again before hiking his backpack up with a grunt. They can hear his footsteps against the hardwood floor, before Haru speaks up again 

“…Makoto…”

“Mm..?”

Haru sighs. “…Good luck.”

Makoto’s grateful smile blends into his voice. “Thanks, Haru. Bye!” With that, he exits the room – and walks through the doorway Ran and Ren are huddled by.

Their hearts leap into their throats as their older brother enters the room, certain that they’ll be discovered – but Makoto passes right by them unseeing, hands shoved in his coat pockets, head bowed as if in deep thought. Several terrifying moments go by, until they hear the front door open and shut and they release their held breaths with a gasp.

“….He didn’t see us.” Ran’s mouth hangs open in disbelief.

“Makoto can be really stupid sometimes,” Haru comments from the doorway, calmly wiping his hands on his apron.

“No kidding,” snorts Ran, standing and helping Ren to his feet. “First forgetting his birthday, and now this??”

“Mm,” Haru agrees. “You should go home now, so your mom doesn’t worry. I’ll take care of the cake, and bring it over tomorrow.”

“Thank you Haru-chan!” they chirp, and scurry obediently out the door, keeping an eye out for Makoto.

“Ahh, I can’t wait for tomorrow!” Ran sighs as they make their way down the stairs. “It’s gonna be so great!!”

“Mmhm,” Ren says absently.

Ran stops and looks at him. “What’s wrong?”

Ren shakes his head. “Nothing.. just… Onii-chan sounded really tired. Do you think he’s okay?”

“Of course he’s tired,” Ran replies, rolling her eyes. “He’s almost a grown-up, and grown-ups are  _always_ tired.”

“Yeah..” Ren looks dubious. “But Haru-chan seems worried…”

“It’s okay,” assures Ran, grabbing Ren’s hand as they turn the corner to their house. “Haru-chan will take care of it, then. We’ve gotta start the decorations now, we’re gonna finish before we go to bed!”

“Yeah..” Ren responds, hesitantly. “…I guess you’re right. Onii-chan said he’s gonna sleep tonight, anyway, so he’ll get all the rest he needs then!”

“Mmhm, and we’ll be all ready to surprise him tomorrow!” Ran grins, tugging the front door open.

“Yes!” Ren’s face lights up with excitement, brooding forgotten. “It’s gonna be the  _best_ birthday Onii-chan’s ever had, just you wait and see!”

Ran giggles and nods, and they’re in the house and up the stairs in search of art supplies before they even take their coats off. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

“What do you think?” Ren steps back to examine his work – a delicate, lime-green and ocean-blue paper banner glued onto a line of sturdy string with hand-drawn sakura blossoms and birthday presents framing the sides.

“Ahh, it’s so pretty!” Ran nods enthusiastically, looking up from the paper chain she’s making. “What should we write on it?”

“’Happy Birthday Onii-chan’, of course,” Ren replies, pulling out a calligraphy brush and ink stone set he’d received for  _his_ last birthday.

“Ehh, Ren, are you really gonna paint it? What if you mess up?” Ran puts down her chain and crawls over to sit beside him.

“I  _won’t_ ,” Ren huffs, turning his head. “I’m getting really good at writing, and big writing is easier! It’s like drawing a picture.”

“Then  _I_  wanna paint too!” Ran states, reaching for the brush.

“It’s  _my_ brush, Ran, let go!” Ren holds it out of her reach, frowning at her.

“But he’s  _our_ Onii-chan,” Ran retorts, crossing her arms. “I should get to write his birthday banner too!!”

Ren sighs, reluctantly seeing this logic. “I guess you’re right,” he says, grudgingly. “Mm, how about… I’ll write ‘happy birthday’ and you get to write ‘Onii-chan’?”

Ran considers this, and finds it acceptable. “Okay! So I go first!” She holds her hand out for the brush then adds, softer, “..please?”

“Sure.” Ren grins and hands her the brush.

They take their time with the writing, drawing each stroke with careful precision. The two of them are situated comfortably in the middle of the living room floor, paper and balloons and streamers and markers strewn all around them. Their mother and father are drinking their after-dinner tea in the kitchen, listening to the radio. Outside, the wind rattles the window panes, making the eaves of the house creak.

“I wonder if it’s gonna snow soon,” Ren muses, as he puts the finishing touches on his ending kana. “I wanna build a snowman..”

“It’s supposed to snow tonight I think,” Ran replies, wiping ink off her brush with a cloth. “Maybe Onii-chan will get snow for his birthday!”

“Ah, I hope so!” Ren exclaims, lighting up. “Then we can all build a snowman together!”

“And have hot chocolate afterwards!” Ran chimes in. “It’d make it even  _more_ perfect! I’m gonna write it down, just in case.” She retrieves her faithful notebook and scribbles it down on the list.

“There, that should do it!” Ren puts his brush down and stands, admiring their handiwork. “It looks good!”

“Yeah!” Ran joins him, dusting her hands off. Painting is a bit messy for her taste; their fingers are smudged with ink, and there’s a spot of it tickling her cheek and a smear across the bridge of Ren’s nose.. but the finished project is worth it, she decides. “Now all we have left is –”

“Tadaima…” An unmistakable voice rings out from the hall, followed by the sound of the front door shutting hard.

They stare at each other in shock for about three seconds, then simultaneously start a mad scramble to hide everything beneath the couch.

“I thought you said he wasn’t coming home till bedtime!” Ren accuses under his breath, trying not to spill any ink as he shoves it under beside the box of markers.

“He  _wasn’t_!” Ran hisses back, cramming the paper chains into a bunch next to the couch leg. “Something must’ve happened!”

Ren jumps up, biting his lip. “Let’s go see,” he ventures, and Ran nods, smoothing her skirt and following him to the door.

Makoto is stooped over by the door, struggling to untie his shoelaces with one hand while holding onto his bag strap with the other. His hair is tousled and damp, dotted with little flecks of white, and his face is pinched in a concentrated frown.

“Onii-chan! Okaeri~!!” The twins rush over to him, and tackle him eagerly as per their usual greeting. Makoto stumbles to his knees with a quiet  _oof!_ and drops his bag, fighting to keep his balance so they don’t all tumble to the floor.

“H-Hey, Ran, Ren, careful!” he says breathlessly, shaking his head and chuckling a little. “I’m glad to see you too, but don’t hurt yourselves!”

Ignoring him, Ran gets straight to the point. “Onii-chan, you’re home early? What happened?”

Makoto adjusts position so his arms are around them both. “Nothing really, I was just really tired so they let me go home.” He tilts his head sheepishly. “It’s just as well, I have a ton of homework to do..”

“Waaah, it  _is_ snowing!” Ren squeals delightedly, noticing the snowflakes in his brother’s hair, and Makoto winces from the close proximity to his ear.

“Mhm, it is, it’s really cold out too,” Makoto affirms, working a kink out of his neck. “I’m really glad to be home..” He yawns, and both Ran and Ren snuggle up to him.

“You should go to bed so you rest up for tomorrow!” Ren tells him, leaning his head against his chilled coat.

Makoto gives him a puzzled look. “Tomorrow..?”

“Your  _birthday_!!” They cry in unison, evoking another wince from their older brother.

“Oh, right,” he says, rather weakly.

“So you really DID forget!!” Ren accuses, frowning at him.

Makoto laughs lightly, mussing his little brother’s hair. “I didn’t  _forget_ , I just wasn’t –” His nose wrinkles, and he trails off. “Hold on..” He lets go of Ran suddenly, clumsily tugging a loop of his scarf over the lower half of his face and muffling a sneeze into it. Ren jumps, startled, and Ran giggles.

“Bless you!” Their mother appears in the doorway, drying her hands on a dishcloth. “My, you’re home early! Is everything all right?”

Makoto sniffles, then gently removes himself from the impromptu sibling-sandwich, running a hand through his hair. “Eheh, thanks.. yeah.. mm, no, everything’s fine, they just let me go home early tonight.”

“He was too tired to swim,” Ran adds helpfully.

Makoto opens his mouth, then closes it again. “That’s not exactly it, I just.. didn’t end up having to teach the seven o’ clock class.” He rubs his nose, then shrugs out of his coat.

Mrs. Tachibana raises an eyebrow. “I see.. well, that’s good. Have you eaten dinner?”

“Mm, no, I’m not really hungry, I had a big lunch,” Makoto says with a tired smile. “I think I’ll just get some homework done and then go to bed.” He rubs the back of his neck, then pats both twins on the head before stepping up into the hall.

“…Okay, if you’re sure,” his mother says, giving him a searching look. “I can bring up some tea for you later if you want.”

He nods gratefully. “Thanks Mom, that sounds great.” He turns to grab his backpack, then gives the twins a little wave. “’night,” he murmurs, then heads upstairs.

“G’night,” they reply, giving their mother questioning looks.

She smiles at them. “How’re the decorations coming?”

Ran brightens. “Good! We’re almost done! Tomorrow’s gonna be great!! Right, Ren?”

“Mm..” Ren hums dubiously, gazing in the direction of the stairs. “I think we should put letting Onii-chan sleep in on the list, though.”

Ran laughs. “Don’t be silly, didn’t you hear him? He said he’s going to bed early, so I’m sure he’ll be up in plenty of time!” She stretches her arms up and out, closing her eyes with a contented sigh. “And just about everything’s ready now, so we can go to bed soon too! I can’t wait for tomorrow. It’s gonna be  _perfect_.”

“Y..yeah,” Ren agrees finally, smiling as he catches some of her satisfaction. “I can’t wait to see the look on Onii-chan’s face.” 

~*~*~*~*~*~


	4. Chapter 4

“Psst! Ren! Are you awake?”

Ran herself had practically woken with the sun, but has been waiting considerately until now to disturb her twin.

“Yeah,” Ren replies sleepily, poking his head from the covers to look over at her.

Ran is sitting up, blankets pushed down to her ankles, eyes sparkling with barely-contained excitement.

Ren sits up as well, rubbing his eyes. “Mm… What time is it?”

“Eight thirty,” she answers, bouncing up and down in impatience, shaking her mattress. “It’s today! It’s finally here!”

Ren kicks his blankets off as well, his own excitement chasing any remnants of sleep from his mind. “Yeah!! Onii-chan must be up by now, right?”

“Right!” Ran all but leaps out of bed, motioning enthusiastically to him. “C’mon, let’s go surprise him!”

They scramble out the door and down the stairs, foregoing their slippers in their haste.

“We have to be super quiet,” Ran warns him as they approach the kitchen, drawn by the delicious scents of breakfast. “Otherwise it won’t be a surprise!”

Ren nods seriously, and the two of them tiptoe to the doorway, holding their breaths.

“Happy birthday, Onii-chan!!” they shout, tumbling into the kitchen and throwing their arms out wide in celebration…. then gape in confusion.

Makoto is nowhere to be seen.

Their father is sitting at the table with his newspaper, smiling kindly at them. Their mother peeks in from the kitchenette, two glasses of milk in hand.

“Ah, Ran, Ren, good morning!” She smiles warmly, setting the glasses on the table.

“’morning,” they chime, crossing over and taking their seats at the table.

“Is Onii-chan still asleep?” Ren asks after taking a sip of his milk.

Mrs. Tachibana’s expression becomes sympathetic. “Ah, yes; he came down a little while ago, but he wasn’t feeling well, so I sent him back to bed.” She slips back into the kitchenette and returns with two plates, heaped with toast, little egg omelet rolls, and turkey strips – Makoto’s favorite breakfast – and sets them down in front of them.

Ran and Ren barely notice the food, however, and stare at their mother.

“I…Is he sick?” Ran manages, twisting the hem of her shirt in her hands.

Mrs. Tachibana nods, folding her arms over her chest with an expression of concern. “I’m afraid so – he’s come down with a really bad cold, so I told him to get as much rest as he can today.”

“…Oh…” Ran’s face is blank with shock, while Ren looks nothing short of horrified.

Their mother moves behind them and gives them a compassionate hug, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I know you had a lot planned for today.. but the best thing you can do for your brother now is let him sleep. So try to be quiet when you’re upstairs, okay? I know it’s hard, but you need to leave him alone for now. You can wish him a happy birthday later, when he wakes up.”

“Y..Yes Mom..” Ran says, voice small. Ren nods wordlessly.

They pick at their food in silence, neither one really in the mood to eat. Finally they push their plates back and trudge upstairs, appetites lost.

When they reach their room, neither speaks. Ren shuts the door, as quietly as he can, and Ran stops in the middle of the room, staring at the notebook that sits innocently on their bedside table.

Ren waits for her to say something, but she does not, and the silence quickly becomes awkward. Finally, he takes a step closer to her, chewing on his lip. “N…Now what?” he ventures, timidly.

“It’s ruined.” Her voice is so quiet, he has to check if he heard right.

“What..?”

“It’s _ruined_ , Ren!” she snaps, whirling to face him. “All our plans are ruined, this _whole day is ruined,_ a-and it’s all his fault..!!” She scowls fiercely, balling her hands into fists, but her lips quiver despite her vehemence. “We can’t do _anything_ now! S..Stupid Onii-chan…!” She chokes, and her face crumples as she starts to cry.

“Ah..!” Ren tenses in dismay, instinctively moving toward her. “It’s not his fault, though, Ran,” he points out, brow furrowed, “he can’t help it if he gets sick…”

“I don’t _care_!” Ran sobs out, sitting down hard in the middle of the floor and covering her face with her hands. “I-I had the perfect day planned, all f-for him, and now it’s all _ruined_!”

Ren bites his lip, then sits down beside her, slipping one arm around her. “..It’s… not _all_ ruined though,” he says, hopefully. “We can still put the decorations up… and give him his presents, and the card, and the cake..!”

“So what?” Ran mumbles bitterly through her fingers. “H-He wanted to _do_ things, fun things, with us and his friends, a-and I was going to surprise him with them and now he can’t even leave the house!” She dissolves into a mess of sobs, and Ren snuggles closer to her, deciding a hug might be more comforting than words.

“It’s not _fair_!” she cries, pounding her fists against the carpet. “Everything was going to be _perfect_!! It was going to be the _best birthday ever_ , and now—!”

“…Ran?” A new voice startles them both, and they look up to see none other than Makoto himself standing in the doorway, gazing down at them in sleepy concern. “Are you okay?”

“Onii-chan!” Ren scrambles to his feet, eyes wide. “Aren’t you s’posed to be in bed??”

Makoto gives a quiet chuckle that rumbles deep in his chest, causing him to cough. He winces, blinks hazily, and then tugs the mask hanging around his neck up over his mouth and nose with a tired sigh. “Yeah, but I heard you crying,” he says, leaning unconsciously on the doorframe as he looks questioningly at Ran. “What’s wrong..?”

Ran scrubs at her eyes with the backs of her hands, then peeks up, eyes slowly widening as she finally looks at him.

There’s no doubt that he’s sick; actually, he looks kind of miserable, standing crookedly in the doorway, in sweatpants and an old t-shirt, the part of his face that’s visible above the mask pinched with fatigue.

A wave of guilt crashes over Ran, and fresh tears spill down her cheeks. “O…Onii-chan..” she whispers tremulously. “I-I…” Suddenly she gets up and runs to the door, throwing her arms around him and sobbing into his shirt. “I-I’m so sorry..!”

Makoto exhales sharply in surprise, then crouches to her level, pulling her into a hug. “What are you sorry for?” he asks gently, trying to meet her gaze.

She just shakes her head and cries harder, mumbling something unintelligible.

Sympathetic, but utterly lost, Makoto scoops her up and carries her over to her bed, sinking down on it and situating her in his lap. “Shh, it’s okay,” he murmurs, petting her hair.

“No it’s not!” she blurts, clinging to his shirt.

Makoto sighs helplessly, looking to Ren. “What’s…” He pauses, shivering, and turns away from Ran to sneeze, then continues hoarsely, “…what’s going on?”

Ren fidgets, curling his toes into the carpet. “It’s…” he starts, then shakes his head. Padding to the bedside table, he picks up the notebook and hops up next to Makoto on the bed, carefully slipping the list from its spot. “We… made this. For you.” He looks up at his brother, then hands him the paper.

Still holding Ran securely with one arm, Makoto brings the paper close to his face to read it, squinting. Slowly, understanding dawns on his face. “…This is…”

“…plans for your birthday,” Ren finishes, slipping his arms lightly around Makoto’s bicep. “Ran had everything just right.. we wanted to take you to all your favorite places, because you said you wanted to have a day to relax and have fun, and since it’s your birthday, we thought –”

“…It was supposed to be perfect!” Ran finally speaks up, voice muffled by the fabric. She pulls back to look tearfully at Makoto, sniffling. “I wanted to give you the best day ever!”

Makoto blinks a couple of times, processing this. He takes a breath as if to speak, then exhales it, shaking his head, a tiny smile flickering in his tired green eyes. “I… don’t know what to say,” he admits, looking from one twin to the other. “I… thank you.” He shakes his head again, staring at the list with a mixture of wonder and amusement. “This is great.”

“But..” Ran wipes at her face with one sleeve. “It’s _not_ great because now we can’t do any of it… it’s not gonna be the best day ever because you’re sick and we have to stay here and—”

“Hey, hey,” Makoto interrupts gently. “This stuff is really fun, and I’d love to do it with you another time when I’m feeling better… but you know what?” He smiles at them both, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “This _is_ the best day ever, for me, because I get to spend a whole day with you! With my family. I haven’t gotten to do _that_ since the summertime.”

“Wh… really?” Ran searches his face, trying to gauge whether or not he means it.

“Of course,” Makoto assures her, bending to kiss the top of her head and reaching over to hug Ren. “So thank you.”

“I… I’m so glad,” Ran breathes, slipping her arms around him again.

“Me too,” Ren echoes, and hugs Makoto from the side, now a little teary as well.

Makoto starts to say something, but his breath catches painfully in his throat and he lets go of them abruptly, twisting away with an especially loud sneeze.

Both twins giggle at the sound, and Ran pats his shoulder. “Bless you,” she offers, but he grimaces, shaking his head, and sneezes a good three or four more times, doing his best to aim them the opposite direction despite that angling his body that way is obviously uncomfortable.

Ran slips down from his lap and fetches him a tissue box from their dresser. “Here, you should blow your nose.”

“Thanks,” he half-laughs, half-croaks, accepting it gratefully and tugging the mask down to do so.

Just then, their doorbell chimes, and Ren and Ran scurry over to their bedroom doorway, curious. They strain to hear, but only catch murmured bits of conversation before their mother suddenly calls clearly up the stairs.

“Ran, Ren, Makoto, it’s for you!”

The twins glance at each other excitedly, the drama from a few minutes ago all but forgotten; then rush to grab Makoto’s hands and tug him out the door and downstairs before he even has a chance to catch his breath.

“Ran, Ren, slow down..!” he protests weakly as they bring him into the front hall – then stumbles to a halt, staring in dazed disbelief at the sight.

Haru is standing in the middle of the hall, a large brown paper bag held snugly to his chest. He smiles a little when he sees Makoto, and hands the bag to Ran.

“Wha…” Makoto sputters, blinking rapidly and rubbing at one eye. “Haru??”

“Happy birthday, Makoto,” Haru says simply.

“Waaah, you got the melon bread!!” Ran squeals, pulling a loaf out and waving it in Ren’s face. “Haru-chan, you’re the _best_!!!”

“..Melon bread?” Makoto repeats. Ran and Ren disappear into the kitchen with the treat, then return shortly after, giving Haru an enthusiastic double hug.

“It was on the list,” Haru says.

Makoto nods dumbly, then blinks and shakes his head. “Wait – Haru, what’re you doing here? I told you to –”

“He’s not the only one who’s here!” A blond head pokes in from outside, and suddenly the entryway is much more crowded as Nagisa bounces into the room – followed by Rei, Rin, and Gou. Each of them is laden with a package of some sort, except for Gou, who is carrying the cake.

Makoto looks as though he might fall over from the shock. “I… Haru, what…? How...” He runs his hands through his already tousled hair. Ran and Ren detach from Haru to stand by their brother, holding onto his elbows to steady him.

“I texted them to come here instead of the train station,” Haru explains to the twins, who nod in approval.

“Haru, I texted _you_ saying _not_ to come..!” Makoto presses the heel of his hand to his forehead, wincing. “I don’t want you guys getting sick because of me, it’s really—”

“Don’t worry, we won’t stay long,” Gou reassures him with a friendly smile. “But we couldn’t just _not show up_ for your eighteenth birthday!”

“We have to give you your gifts, Makoto-senpai,” Rei adds, gesturing with his – a beautiful, perfectly-wrapped parcel with symmetrical ribbon ties and shiny purple wrapping paper.

“And your cake!” Nagisa chimes in with a grin, hanging off Rei’s arm.

“C’mon, Makoto,” Rin drawls, walking past him and patting him on the back as they all file into the kitchen at some unspoken agreement. “You don’t want us to start without you, right?”

And so, to Makoto’s bemusement and the twins’ delight, a somewhat-impromptu birthday party is thrown right there in the Tachibana’s kitchen.

Makoto forgets about his misgivings as soon as he sees the cake. The pure white frosting contrasts perfectly with the rich brown of the cake, and the strawberry halves are arranged in a spiraling flower-like pattern on top with Makoto’s name in the middle. “Haru, it’s _beautiful_!” he gasps, staring at it in awe. “Did you make this?”

Haru nods. “The twins did a lot of it though, and I helped them.”

“It’s _chocolate strawberry_ ,” Ren informs him. “It’s got strawberry filling too!”

“And no mackerel,” Ran adds conspiratorially, earning a half-hearted glare from Haru.

Makoto lights up, and pulls the three of them into a bear hug. “Thank you so much, I can’t wait to try it!!” He lets them go, clearing his throat, then coughs into his sleeve. “…Ah, I probably shouldn’t blow the candles out though, should I…” he muses regretfully, sniffling.

“I’ll do it for you!” Ren exclaims.

“No, _I_ will!” Ran cries instantly after.

“I said it first!”

“Well _I’m_ the oldest!”

“Guys!” Makoto interrupts with a stern look, and they both fall silent. “Why don’t you both help me?”

They glance at each other, then nod. “Okay!”

The rest of the party passes in a whirl of activity: the cake is consumed and enjoyed by all, and even though Makoto doesn’t have much of an appetite, he declares it to be the best cake he’s ever had. Afterwards, he opens the presents that his friends brought, and Ran and Ren are pleased to find that none of them contain anything they bought for him.

In the end, Makoto has a book on swimming theory and a cd of nature sounds from Rei (“scientifically proven to be relaxing,” he tells him), a chocolate bar and multicolored stress ball from Nagisa, a shiny new captain’s whistle and matching lanyard from Gou, a shark-tooth necklace and new pair of goggles from Rin, and a beautiful watercolor-style t-shirt with a dolphin and wave pattern from Haru that he designed himself.

By the time presents are done, Makoto is practically falling asleep on the table; so his teammates tactfully excuse themselves and make their way out the door, amidst cheerful goodbyes and well-wishes. The only one who remains is Haru, sitting on the couch with Ren on his lap.

“Ahh, that was fun!” Ren sighs, munching on his melon bread.

“Yes!!” agrees Ran, grabbing the two remaining loaves and giving one to Makoto. “Onii-chan, come eat melon bread with us!” She tugs at his arm, and he stumbles obediently to his feet, doing his best to keep up with her as she heads for the couch.

Haru shifts Ren onto the couch and stands, crossing over to Makoto and placing a hand on his shoulder when he sways. “Not so fast, Ran,” Haru reminds her, helping Makoto to the couch.

“A-ah, it’s okay Haru, I’m fine,” Makoto says, but his assurance holds little weight as he sneezes twice before finishing his sentence, then sinks heavily down to the couch, leaning his head against the back of it as if suddenly dizzy.

Haru snorts and shakes his head, rejoining them on the couch.

“Onii-chan, can you open our presents now?” Ren asks hopefully.

“Ah, of course!” Makoto smiles at him. “I didn’t know you guys got me something!”

“We got you _three_ things,” Ran corrects, flouncing to her feet. “I’ll go get them!”

“I’ll help!” cries Ren, chasing after her.

They reappear in a minute or two, and set their carefully wrapped packages in their brother’s lap.

Makoto exclaims enthusiastically over the plush cat, assuring Ren that he’ll hug it whenever he’s lonely, and is equally excited about the pens and the pocky (“Winter fudge pocky! My favorite!!”). When he gets to the third gift, however, he falls silent, picking the item up and turning it over in his hands.

“It’s a memory book,” Ran prompts after several moments. “You put pictures and things inside, so that if you miss us, you can look at it whenever you want and it’ll make you feel better!”

Makoto nods, opening it to look at the blank pages.

“…Do you like it..?” Ren asks, a little worriedly. “Mama picked it out and we thought it was good, but if you don’t—”

Makoto shakes his head vigorously. “It’s _perfect_ ,” he chokes out, voice thick, and pulls them both into a hug. “I love it. Thank you so much..”

Ran blinks up at him. “Onii-chan, are you crying?”

Makoto just laughs, and hugs her tighter.

After a while, the four of them move upstairs to watch a movie in Makoto’s room. When it’s over, Haru quietly slips out, but not before wishing Makoto a happy birthday one last time.

Makoto is curled up comfortably on his bed, a blanket around his shoulders and the twins snuggled sleepily against him on either side. Feeling contented and warm, he gazes at the poster card, decorated with origami cats and fish, and decides that he is a very lucky older brother.

Ran stirs as he sets it down, smiling up at him. “Happy birthday, Onii-chan,” she murmurs.

“Happy birthday Onii-chan..” Ren echoes, leaning his head on Makoto’s arm.

“Thanks,” Makoto says softly, and sighs. It may not have gone as his siblings had planned, but all in all, he is pretty happy right where he is. He doesn't even mind that he is sick, really. "Thank you," he repeats, ruffling their hair. "For giving me the best birthday ever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you go! I hope you liked it. :3 I had a lot of fun writing this, I must admit. xDD also many thanks to harusjiyuu and sunmoonandspoon for brainstorming and prereading and overall moral support. Love you guys~ <3


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